1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
The play begins in the late summer of 1986 in The Wasaychigan Hill Indian Reserve, Manitoulin Island, Ontario. Pelajia and her sister Philomena are working nailing shingles on a roof while talking. They talk about leaving to Toronto and of Bingo. The other characters are introduced as also being fans of bingo with their own problems. Annie had lost the love of her life to her sister Marie-Adele. Marie-Adele has cancer and 14 kids, Emily had been abused by her husband and then lost the girl she was in love with. Veronique is hated by all the others and has adopted a mentally challenged girl named Zhaboonigan, who had been sexually abused by two white men with a screw driver. All the ladies play bingo and are looking forward to attending the Biggest Bingo in the World, which is being held Toronto.
2. What is the intrusion?
I though the intrusion was when Veronique mentions that the Biggest Bingo in the World might be coming to Toronto because that causes all the girls to get together and end up working together to go to Toronto.
3. What is the unique factor?
This is the day that the women find out about the Biggest Bingo in the World and decide to raise money together to attend.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Will any of the women win the bingo jackpot? Will Marie-Adele survive? Will Emily hurt Veronique? Will Pelajia leave to Toronto?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
Information known to all the character is that the Bingo game is being held in Toronto. Information known to only one of the characters is the fact that Emily is pregnant.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
I found the theatrical moment to be when all the women were fighting and yelling at each other. This called the audiences attention to the scene and was very loud. They were cursing and saying very crude things. The scene showed how the women thought of each other and was ended by them wanting to work together to go to Toronto for the bingo game.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Family, friendship, supernatural, Indian faith.
8. What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
I found all the characters to be chief characters in the play. They all wanted to go to the bingo game in Toronto but had to raise money first. Each has their own personal problems like Marie-Adele's cancer, Emily being pregnant, and Pelajia wanting to leave the reservation, but they get past it to band together.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
I though that the Nanabush who played the Seagull, Nighthawk, and Bingo Master were all related to Marie-Adele. It starts off by watching her, then attacking her, then dancing with her and taking her to the spiritual world. I saw that this character symbolized her looming death that comes at the end of the play. Bingo symbolized the sense of community and bond that kept the women together. Despite their differences they were able to earn money together and travel to Toronto for bingo. The title The Rez Sisters symbolized this bond between all the girls and they're relationship. They were all related and at the end of the day, they cared for another.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
All the girls are related to each other. They are one big family who live in the same town who seem to value each other more than they show. Even though everyone hates Veronica they take her with them to Toronto. They all casually speak to each other even when they are being rude and insulting.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
The play begins in the late summer of 1986 in The Wasaychigan Hill Indian Reserve, Manitoulin Island, Ontario. Pelajia and her sister Philomena are working nailing shingles on a roof while talking. They talk about leaving to Toronto and of Bingo. The other characters are introduced as also being fans of bingo with their own problems. Annie had lost the love of her life to her sister Marie-Adele. Marie-Adele has cancer and 14 kids, Emily had been abused by her husband and then lost the girl she was in love with. Veronique is hated by all the others and has adopted a mentally challenged girl named Zhaboonigan, who had been sexually abused by two white men with a screw driver. All the ladies play bingo and are looking forward to attending the Biggest Bingo in the World, which is being held Toronto.
2. What is the intrusion?
I though the intrusion was when Veronique mentions that the Biggest Bingo in the World might be coming to Toronto because that causes all the girls to get together and end up working together to go to Toronto.
3. What is the unique factor?
This is the day that the women find out about the Biggest Bingo in the World and decide to raise money together to attend.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Will any of the women win the bingo jackpot? Will Marie-Adele survive? Will Emily hurt Veronique? Will Pelajia leave to Toronto?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
Information known to all the character is that the Bingo game is being held in Toronto. Information known to only one of the characters is the fact that Emily is pregnant.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
I found the theatrical moment to be when all the women were fighting and yelling at each other. This called the audiences attention to the scene and was very loud. They were cursing and saying very crude things. The scene showed how the women thought of each other and was ended by them wanting to work together to go to Toronto for the bingo game.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Family, friendship, supernatural, Indian faith.
8. What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
I found all the characters to be chief characters in the play. They all wanted to go to the bingo game in Toronto but had to raise money first. Each has their own personal problems like Marie-Adele's cancer, Emily being pregnant, and Pelajia wanting to leave the reservation, but they get past it to band together.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
I though that the Nanabush who played the Seagull, Nighthawk, and Bingo Master were all related to Marie-Adele. It starts off by watching her, then attacking her, then dancing with her and taking her to the spiritual world. I saw that this character symbolized her looming death that comes at the end of the play. Bingo symbolized the sense of community and bond that kept the women together. Despite their differences they were able to earn money together and travel to Toronto for bingo. The title The Rez Sisters symbolized this bond between all the girls and they're relationship. They were all related and at the end of the day, they cared for another.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
All the girls are related to each other. They are one big family who live in the same town who seem to value each other more than they show. Even though everyone hates Veronica they take her with them to Toronto. They all casually speak to each other even when they are being rude and insulting.